Switch operating attachment



Oct. 4, 1955 K. w. ALLEN I SWITCH OPERATING ATTACHMENT fivemzr" J zdazzzezz Filed April 15, 1952 United States Patent pea SWITCH OPERATING ATTACHMENT Kay W. Allen, Burbank, Calif.

Application April 15, 1952, Serial No. 282,495

4 Claims. (Cl. 200-472) This inventionrelates to switch operating devices and particularly to a form thereof adapted to make possible the operation of the conventional wall switch by children not tall enough to reach the switch in its usual position on the wall of a room.

The' principal object of the invention is to provide an attachment for tumbler type wall switches constructed and arranged to place an operating handle within the reach of a child not tall enough to reach the switch operating handle or lever.

Another object of the invention is to provide a switch operating means of the above type which additionally is susceptible of being moved to a self-sustaining position out of the reach of children temporarily without being disconnected from the switch.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch operating means of the above type which is susceptible of attachment to the wall switch handle without the use of tools.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a switch operating means of the above character which is simple in construction and susceptible of economical manufacture, which is readily attached to the switch handle, and which is sturdy and reliable in use.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts described, by way of example in the following specification of one mode of execution of the invention, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of said specification and in which drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of one embodiment of the invention applied to a wall switch in off position; the position of the parts in the on position being shown in broken lines,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the switch handle engaging component in process of being applied to a switch handle; a portion of the component being broken away for clearness of illustration,

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the parts forming the handle component of the device,

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the parts forming the switch handle engaging component of the device, and

Fig. 7 is a reduced scale view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the operating handle moved to a position out of reach of a child.

Referring to the drawings the invention comprises a switch handle engaging component 1 and a handle component 2 depending therefrom and pivotally connected thereto. The switch handle component is formed from two identical parts 1, 1 as shown in Fig. 6; said parts having a generally oval configuration in plan and having a rounded exterior surface at one end on the meeting or inner face thereof each part has a rectangular depression 2,719,898 Patented Oct. 4, 1955 3 and these depressions combine when the parts are assembled to form a switch handle receiving socket 4. At their opposite ends each part of the switch handle component is cut away from the medial line of the component to form a slot 5 for reception of one end of the operating handle component 2; said cutaway faces being provided with aligned holes 6, 6 for reception of the complementary lugs 7, 7 of the handle component. The meeting faces of the parts forming the switch handle component are further provided with identically disposed dowel projections 8, 8 and dowel receiving holes 9, 9 to effect alignment incident to assembly and the portions thereof adjacent the switch handle socket 4 are hollowed out as at 10 to conserve material and to reduce manufacturing cost. The parts are formed of plastic moldings and by maintaining wall thicknesses at a uniform thickness, the molding time can be materially reduced.

The handle component 2 is likewise formed of two identical parts 2, 2; each part having at one end thereof an outwardly projecting lug 7 engageable with the holes 6 in the parts comprising the switch handle component 1 and at the other end having a hollow semispherical configuration 11 having the flat face thereof coplanar with the meeting faces of the parts; the intermediate portion 12 of said handle component being cruciform in cross section and gradually increasing in its diameters from the lug end to the opposite end. The meeting faces of the parts forming the handle component are also provided with identically disposed interengaging dowel projections 14 and dowel receiving holes 15 to position them in alignment in assembly. The handle component parts, like the switch handle component parts, are formed of molded plastic and are shaped to provide substantially uniform wall thicknesses for economy in manufacture.

In assembly a pair of parts forming a handle component are first cemented together along their meeting faces and then a pair of the switch handle component parts are positioned with their meeting faces in juxtaposition and with the lugs 7, 7 of a handle component extending into the holes 6, 6 thereof and cemented together to complete the assembly. Finally a capsule 16 containing a suitable cement is secured by cementing in the bottom of the switch handle receiving socket 4; said capsule having a flexible outer coating to enable the contents to be expressed in the manner to be described.

In attaching the device to a wall switch, the wall of the capsule 16 is pierced with a pin or needle or other sharp instrument as indicated at 17 and the switch handle component is then pressed over the handle of the wall switch expressing the adhesive 18 from the capsule 16 as shown in Fig. 3 after which the adhesive is allowed to set permanently securing the device to the wall switch. Normally, the handle component is left depending so that it can be reached by a child to operate the wall switch. If, however, it is desired to temporarily put the switch out of reach of the child, it is only necessary to swing the handle component up and allow the ball end thereof to rest against the wall above the switch as shown in Fig. 7.

Thus there has been created a simple wall switch operating device which is constructed from pairs of only two parts; which is readily attached to a wall switch and which is capable of manipulation to put it temporarily out of reach of a child. It is both neat in appearance and sufficiently rugged to stand the strains to which it will be subjected in use.

While in the foregoing specification, there has been described one mode of execution of the invention, it is appreciated that modifications will suggest themselves to others skilled in the art. Consequently, the invention is not to be deemed to be limited to the exact form above disclosed and it includes as well, all such modifications in the parts and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wall switch operating device comprising a switch handle engaging component having a switch handle receiving socket at one end thereof, an operating handle component having one end thereof pivotally connected to the opposite end of said first named component, and means for attaching said first-named component to a switch handle comprising a collapsible capsule containing adhesive material in said socket effective upon introduction of a switch handle into said socket to discharge said adhesive into the space between the switch handle and the socket walls with resultant atachment of said socket-containing component to the switch handle.

2. A wall switch operating device comprising a switch handle engaging component having a switch handle receiving socket at one end thereof, an operating handle component interlockingly, pivotally connected to the opposite end of said first named component; said components each being formed from a pair of identical parts permanently united along the respective medial lines of said components; the parts comprising said first named component being so constructed and arranged that the uniting thereof additionally provides said interlocking, pivotal engagement with said operating handle component, and means for attaching said first-named component to a switch handle comprising a collapsible capsule containing an adhesive in said socket effective upon introduction of a switch handle into said socket to discharge said adhesive into the space between the switch handle and the socket walls with resultant attachment of said socket-containing component to the switch handle.

3. A wall switch operating device comprising a wall switch handle engaging component attachable at one end thereof to the handle of a wall switch and forming a longitudinal extension of the switch handle, and a pendant operating handle component having one end thereof freely pivotally connected to the distal end of said first named component; the other end of said operating handle component being normally within reach of a child and said pivotal connection having suflicient operating clearance so that said operating handle component may be moved at will to an inverted, self-sustaining position out of reach of a child with said other end leaning against the wall and with the body of said handle component extending downwardly and outwardly to said pivotal connection; said components each being formed from a pair of identical parts permanently united along the respective medial lines of said components; the parts comprising said first named component having axially spaced, axially aligned holes therein and the parts comprising said operating handle component each having a laterally extending lug engageable with one each of said holes whereby the uniting of the parts comprising said first component additionally provides said pivotal connection with said operating handle component.

4. A wall switch operating device comprising a wall switch handle engaging component attachable at one end thereof to the handle of a wall switch, and a pendant, operating handle component having one end thereof pivotally connected to the opposite end of said first named component; the other end of said operating handle component being normally within reach of a child and said pivotal connection being so constructed and arranged that said operating handle component may be moved at will to a self-sustaining position out of reach of a child; said components each being formed from a pair of identical parts permanently united along the respective medial lines of said components; the parts comprising said first named component being so constructed and arranged that the uniting thereof additionally provides said interlocking, pivotal engagement with said operating handle component; said switch handle engaging component having a switch handle receiving socket in one end thereof and means for attaching said first-named component to a switch handle comprising a collapsible capsule containing adhesive material disposed in said socket effective upon introduction of a switch handle into said socket to discharge said adhesive into the space between the switch handle and the socket walls with resultant attachment of said socket-containing component to the switch handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,580,905 Foster Jan. 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 521,777 Great Britain May 30, 1940 

